Spain Approves Massive Regularisation for Migrants: Applications Open This Week

The Spanish government has announced the launch of the regularisation process for migrants currently residing in the country without legal documentation. Online applications will be available starting 16 April, while in-person submissions at designated offices will begin on 20 April. The decision is expected to be approved by the government today, 14 April, with the official decree published on 15 April.

Applications can be submitted until 30 June. According to the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, Elma Saiz, the system is already prepared to receive requests. Eligibility is open to those who are in Spain undocumented, have resided in the country continuously for at least five months, and were present in the country before 1 January 2026.

Applications will be processed by the Immigration Case Processing Unit (Unidad de Tramitación de Expedientes de Extranjería). Documents can also be submitted through Social Security offices and post offices across the country.

Authorities emphasise that the programme's goal is to regularise the situation of migrants and provide them with access to the same rights and responsibilities as other residents. However, applicants for statelessness status are excluded from this process, as they already possess a separate legal standing.

As reported by El País, this mass regularisation will affect between 500,000 and 840,000 people. The publication reports that the decree will be adopted with certain modifications. A key change involves the procedure for obtaining a criminal record certificate. Under the new mechanism, applicants must request this document from their home country within one month. If the certificate is not obtained in time, the Ministry of the Presidency will attempt to secure it via diplomatic channels.

This procedure is allowed up to three months. If the document is still not received, the applicant will be given an additional 15 days for a final attempt. Notably, the previous option to replace the certificate with a personal declaration of no criminal record has been removed.

Specific changes also apply to asylum seekers. They are no longer required to withdraw their asylum applications in advance; they will only need to do so after being granted a residence permit.

On the day of the decree's final approval, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez published an address to citizens. In it, he called the regularisation an "act of normalisation" that recognises "the reality of nearly half a million people" living in the country and "building the rich, open, and diverse Spain that we are, and the Spain we aspire to be."

Sánchez emphasised that Spain needs migrant workers due to its ageing population. According to him, without the influx of new workers, the sustainability of the economy could be at risk. He noted that neither technology nor automation will be able to fully compensate for this deficit in the coming years. "The path forward is clear: better integration, better organisation, and unlocking the full potential of those who already live among us," he added.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister drew a parallel with Spain's own history. He recalled generations of Spaniards who were forced to emigrate in the past in search of a better life and stressed that this regularisation is an "act of justice toward our own history."

Sánchez also noted that regularisation means not only the expansion of rights but also the emergence of responsibilities. According to him, the goal is to ensure equal conditions for all residents and strengthen the integration of migrants into society.

"Integration is only possible through legal status. Through access to dignified work, through contribution to the system, and through full participation in our society," he stated. Therefore, according to Sánchez, in contrast to those "who seek to sow fear, pit people against each other, and condemn thousands to isolation," migration must be viewed as a "reality that must be responsibly regulated, fairly integrated, and transformed into a common well-being."